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The Mole
1st appearance November 16, 1941. Real name: Louis Rewes ("Sewer" spelt backwards) Jr. The Mole was a villain that resembled his animal moniker. Early Life He apparently started his criminal carrer in 1911. In 1926 before Dick Tracy joined the force, Mole had his last encounter with the Police and was a part of a gang that was about to throw him into the river in cement shoes. At the last minute he made them change their minds by promising them a permeant hideout as long as he lived-free of charge. One by one he systematically killed them and took their money. Encounter with Dick Tracy In 1941 Mole was running an underground hideout for fugitive criminals. A low-level crook named Duke was on the run came to the Mole for sanctuary. Duke double-crossed the Mole, attempting to steal Mole's money and flee. However Duke was eltrocuted by Mole's booby trapped medal later and then strangeled by Mole who disposed of the body. Mole's hideout was directly under a gas station run by his associate Oily, who provided Mole with supplies in exchange for cash. The police, who had been investigating Duke's crimes and subsequent discovery of his body, started questioning Oily, and he decided to wash his hands of his association with Mole. While attempting to barricade Mole into his hideout, Mole fired a blind shot out the door which ricocheted and wounded Oily. During a record-setting blizzard, the snow that had been falling melted from the warmth of Mole's hideout and flooded it, leaving the Mole with having to pack his money and leave as Tracy (who found Mole's fingerprints and believed him to be dead) fell in and faught the Mole. The two men were separated during their fight, and Mole tried to dig his way to freedom. Tracy had found another way out and caught Mole just as he reached the surface (Dec. 20, 1941). The water drained out into the sewer along with Mole's stashed money, which was aquired by the state and others to be divid ed. Once in custody, the Mole was very cooperative and served a 19 year sentence. The Mole was actually one of the few villains Tracy faced that he liked. On the Christmas shortly after he was arrested, Tracy gave the mole a gift package of fruit, cigarettes and candy. This kindness astonished Mole who hadn't received a gift in thirty years. The Mole Reforms After his release from prison, Mole was seen working with his granddaughter Molene who bore an uncanny resemblence to him. At first, Mole seemed to bear a grudge against Dick Tracy, and was supposedly involved with the former fatman named the Pouch in a smuggling operation secretly run by Johnny Scorn. After being arrested and released (due to lack of evidence), Mole washed his hands of Molene. Still, he refused to report her activities to the police, and he expressed grief at her death when she later killed herself along with her rival for Scorn's affections El Tigress. Later, Mole purchased a farm and Tracy came to visit him while on vacation. Tracy helped the Mole foil an attempt by some thieves to steal his farm equipment in the night. Tracy and the Mole were on such good terms that he was one of the three former villains that were invited to the wedding of Junior Tracy and Sparkle Plenty, along with Pear-Shape and Influence. The Mole's New Life It was later discovered that Mole's former underground hideout was being used as a refuge for homeless families. Mole became determined to help these people, allowi ng himself to be drawn into a charity match with the colorful professional wrestler Thunderchild, even though Mole believed it was organized by Thunderchild's publicist Patty Cure to exploit Mole's criminal reputation. Vitamin Flintheart acted as the Mole's agent in this endeavor. It was learned that the Mole was illiterate. He was shown to be in the process of learning to read. In his endeavors to do so and to maintain Mole town (his former hideout) for the homeless families, he made good friends with a little girl named Toad Spencer and her mother. Toad was a bright student and baseball player and Mole was very protective and affectionate towards the two Spencers. When Tracy brought the Mole a gift for meals at an upscale restaurant, Mole invited Mrs. Spencer and Toad to go with him. Toad was later kidnapped as a part of a plot by the serial killer Sweatbox. Frantic, Mole went to former associate Pouch and demanded information to where Toad had been taken. Mole freed Toad from Sweatbox's car and attacked the old sweaty criminal so that Toad could escape. Sweatbox was soon killed while trying to escape. Appearances in Other Media "Dick Tracy in B Flat" The Mole was a character in the humorous radio play "Dick Tracy in B Flat", produced for Armed Forces Radio in February of 1945. He was played by Jimmy Durante. 1950s TV Series The Mole appeared in a 2-part episode of the 1950s "Dick Tracy" television series. He was portrayed by actor Raymond Hatton. Mole was portrayed as a light-sensitive underworld figure who captured and imprisoned Dick Tracy in an underground hideout. Tracy eventually escaped and the Mole was arrested. 1960s Animated Series The Mole appeared as a character in the 1960s "Dick Tracy" cartoon show. he was sometimes paired with Sketch Paree, and often populated backgrounds/stock shots. He was also shown as part of the gang led by Pruneface in "The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo". Archie's TV Funnies The Mole was a character in the "Dick Tracy" segments of the 1971 animated television series "Archie's TV Funnies", produced by Filmation Associates. The Mole's appearance closely resembled his depiction in the comic strip. He was portrayed as a lone operator, with access to several high-tech peices of equipment. The Mole was one the villains featured in the show's opening and closing credits sequence. Movie Continuity The Mole does not appear in the 1990 film "Dick Tracy". However, he is a featured character in the comic book tie-in published by the Walt Disney company, written by John Moore with art by Kyle Baker. In the comic book, Mole operates an underground hide-out for fugitive criminals. He is closely associated with the underworld doctor Doc Hump, who performed plastic surgery on fugitives to help them evade capture. Mole aids Karpse, and is later approached by Dick Tracy disguised as B-B Eyes. Karpse discovers Tracy's ruse, and Tracy's backup arrives. Mole flees, pursued by Tracy, while Karpse and Doc Hump are arrested. Mole hijacks a hearse which Tracy hops in the back of. The two men struggle and force the car off the road. It crashes through the ice into a frozen lake. Tracy survives, but Mole dies from the shock of the cold. The Mole is also a character in the film's follow-up novel written by Max Allan Collins, Dick Tracy Goes to War. He is given an elaborate back story and his name "Louis Rewes Jr" (taken from his adoptuive father) is revealed. It is explicited stated that the gang he had worked for and later was betrayed by had been run by Big Boy. As in the comic strip, Mole runs an underground hideout for fugituive criminals. He recruits B-B Eyes and Shaky into a secret plot arranged by Mrs. Pruneface. Mole is eventually betrayed by his co-horts and left in a death-trap with Dick Tracy. The two men escape, and Mole tells Tracy about the various plots that he is involved with. Mole is arrested on a murder charge, but Tracy believes that the Mole can mount an insanity defense and avoid a death sentence. Later, Tracy arranges for a Thanksgiving dinner to be sent to the Mole's jail cell. Notes *Mole's original encounter with Dick Tracy took place in 1941. When he re-appeared in 1971, he claimed to have served a 19-year sentance. This would have had him convicted and incarcerated in 1952 rather than 1941. This would be an example of the sliding time-line of the comic strip. *In his original 1941 meeting with Tracy the Mole states "The Mole has followed the newspapers! Your face is familiar and so is your method!" creating a continuity issue regarding his later illiteracy. *Years later, during the case of Dewdrop and Open-Mind Monty, Tracy would recognize Alex the Timer, who was identified as having been a bomb expert and money handler for the Mole. It is unclear why the Mole would have needed a bomb expert, or for how long the two men were associated. *Mole has occasionally been confused/conflated with Rhodent, but the two men are separate characters. *The Mole's real name (Louis Rewes Jr.) and origin was given by Max Allan Collins in the novel Dick Tracy Goes to War. The current creative team has stated their intention to consider that canonical. *Mole appears in both the comic book prequel to the 1990 feature film, and the follow-up novel. His death in the comic book is the main element that keeps the two fictions from being considered continuous with each other and the film. However, if (in the comic book) Tracy made a mistake in his assessment that the Mole had died, the two works would have a fairly strong claim at canonicity. *Mole's origin (as revealed in Dick Tracy Goes to War) is similar to that of the Batman villain The Penguin in the film Batman Returns. Both men are abandoned as babies by their fathers, who are disgusted by their grotesque appearance, and come to grow up in sewers. *The Mole's actual modus operandi, operating a criminal operation in the abandoned subway tunnels and sewers of a major city, was adopted by another Batman villain, the Gopher, in the Batman & Robin ''newspaper strip distributed by the McClure Syndicate from 1943 to 1946. The storyline originally ran in the Sunday strips beginning on May 6, 1945, and ending on July 7, 1945. It was reprinted in the collection ''Batman - The Sunday Classics (1991). * The Mole was the villain featured on the cover of IDW's ''The Complete Dick Tracy Volume 7''. This volume was the first to have a format that was altered from previous versions. Like all subsequent volumes, it was slightly larger and featured a color image of a well-known Tracy adversary. Can Be Found *The Complete Dick Tracy Vol. 7 *The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy *Dick Tracy's Fiendish Foes *Dick Tracy: The Complete True Hearts and Tommy Guns Trilogy *Dick Tracy Goes to War Category:Reformed Criminals